This evening I was a guest speaker for a local Toastmaster's group with a Speech Number 7 and a title of "Keep Looking Up."

As a Toastmaster, we have the opportunity to speak at our own registered group or guest speak with another location. This group I had previously visited and they were just as lovely then as they were now. The core group consisted of toastmasters had anywhere from ten to thirty years of experience and after all that time... they are still present with such passion.It is Admirable to witness, as passion & commitment are a flame that can burn out, but these lovely individuals show up sincerely happy , helpful, kind, curious, and organized. It's encouraging to see this true sense of teamwork, community, and strong desire to help others become better speakers.

There are not many places that offer this level of commitment to the individual, mentoring, supporting, teaching, listening, and asking questions. Toastmasters truly is a place contributing to my personal and professional growth and sometimes it's their feedback that gives me the confidence and purpose to keep speaking no matter what.

The assigned Speech was to Research a Topic. "Texting and Driving" instantly came to mind as it was relevant to everyone and easy to keep people on the edge of their seat. It went well breaking the speech down into three solid points with a jaw dropping intro and a thought provoking conclusion. I definitely needed to practice more, but all the content was there....and the potential......

After my speech, there were very nice comments.“You have a television or radio voice" This means the absolute world to me as I want to have my own show one day and I believe that I will. then I am receiving confirmations about where I can or will be.An older man who kept smiling during my speech said, "You've got some potential kid." Another man told me how great it was and how to use this speech with organizations. These people don't even know me, but they believe in me? They are providing me with suggestions and resources as well. Toastmasters serve as confirmations that you are right where you need to be. There is positive and negative feedback always given, but it is genuine and essential for growth. They are not just saying something nice in hopes of you coming back to the club.

Therefore, it's these comments that I am grateful for receiving. It may seem like, "Of course you like positive feedback who doesn't?" It is a choice to say "Nice job" or go above and beyond with your comments. When someone acknowledges your potential, you rise higher the next time you go on stage. Toastmasters give you self-confidence, but they also bring you back to reality with critical/helpful feedback.

This connects to other posts with our confirmations. Confirmations given by our peers can help us believe in our own purpose and the goals we set out to accomplish. The world outside may be negative, unsupportive, unpredictable, inconsistent, but the world of Toastmasters is positive, encouraging, nurturing, and giving.

Thank you Toastmasters for your kind feedback this evening. I will be seeing you in August!

The Word "Alone" has a simple dictionary definition, but an abundance of negative word associations. Fear, loneliness, wonder, unsupported, lost, or unknown. It is a word that can set you free and truly change your life with the experiences you can have, the people you can meet, and the new paths you can cross. The true influence of the word is being tainted by the perception that being alone is a bad thing. What does being alone mean for you? Being alone when driving to work, when taking a walk, when traveling on business. If it feels nice having those small moments of peace-what could it be like without a relationship, without kids, or taking a trip alone? That is when fear settles in because we are not abiding to the social norms of society.

It's more comfortable to surround yourself with others rather than walk alone. Walk alone in to a museum, walk alone into a restaurant, walk alone into a movie theater. There is fear that someone will judge us with their eyes. But they don't matter-you matter. Allow yourself to sit in peace and find solitude alone. People are an addition to our happiness, but they don't create our happiness. Get alone and Get happy. Somethings can't always be described rather they have to be experienced PCR

Let yourself explore the word alone in different directions and pay attention to that intuitive feeling that connects to your true self !

Thousands of "Great Lakes Region" and Chicago People to come together for a Reinhard Bonnke Gospel CrusadeChicago and the Great Lakes Region (June 26th, and 27th 2015)—Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke and his ministry, Christ for All Nations (CfaN), are readying to receive thousands of Chicago and the Great Lakes guests at the upcoming Gospel Crusade. The live event will be held in Chicago, at the ALLSTATE ARENA, located at 6920N Mannheim Rd, Rosemont, IL, 60018 on Friday, June 26th at 7 PM and beginning at 6 PM Saturday the 27th. Chicago is the fifth host city for the U.S. Gospel Crusade tour. The Christian event is free to attend and is open to persons of all denominations on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is encouraged but not mandatory.

The Chicago Crusade will follow on the heels of the Houston, TX Crusade where more than 27,000 gathered over two nights. Christ for all Nations is expecting the Allstate Arena to be packed to capacity with people from all walks of life. CfaN has had teams on the ground in the Great Lakes Region for a few months now and have had a tremendous response from the churches coming together to see this event be a success.

In more than 50 years in ministry, Evangelist Bonnke is best known for Great Gospel Crusades across the continent of Africa. Born in Germany, God placed upon his heart to minister throughout Africa. He dedicated his life to hold open-air Gospel campaigns across the Continent with as many as 1.6 million people in attendance at a single meeting. In 40 years of ministry, CfaN has recorded more than 73 million documented decisions to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Explaining the reason to bring the Gospel Crusade to the United States, Bonnke stated, “America needs the Gospel like never before. Despite years of sharing God’s saving message abroad, I believe God is now calling me to turn my ministry inward to help America find renewal and revival.” Bonnke recently became a U.S. citizen. “My work in Africa was paid for mostly by American Christians, and I am so thankful for their giving hearts,” said Bonnke. “But God spoke to me and said, ‘I did not send you to America for the country to just be the offering plate for Africa. I sent you to America for the sake of Americans.” “We are winning millions to Christ, one soul at a time” says Bonnke “Every single, solitary soul is precious.”

CfaN will not receive an offering at the Chicago Gospel Crusade and all new persons who receive Christ at the Gospel Crusades are plugged into a local participating church so they can be discipled and grow in their walk with the Lord.

Attendees can anticipate two days of powerful messages leading up to the transformative Gospel by Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, as well as praise and worship, healing and thousands making salvation decisions. The Gospel Crusade features performances by top Christian worship band Planetshakers and worship leader Ingrid Rosario.

When I was in the Philippines, I would sing inspirational English songs with my patients as many sat in their wheel chairs or listened from their beds nearby. One of the songs I would sing was Mariah Carey, "There can be miracles when you believe. Though hope is frail it's hard to kill. Who knows what miracles you can achieve when you believe...."

How much believing creates a miracle? How far does our faith take us?Do we believe they can happen to us or are they just a distant act of God?

While I sang that song to them, I did believe. I do believe that my beautiful people are watched over by the Lord. They are living and breathing after extreme adversity and difficult life assignments by the Lord. They experience mini-miracles, blessings, love, support, and prayer to keep them going.

Although, how is a miracle defined, how many are given, based off our faith, our love, our morality? Are miracles requested, earned or neither? Does the holy spirit do all the work and healing? If so, is it spontaneous or are people chosen? People say miracles allow Jesus to do all the work through another being and they are God placing his hand on you. A human hand working with the holy spirit palm and two fingers over the head. The touch, the electricity, the feeling, the experience, a release, a new day.

In the Christian Gospel Crusade, all these miracles were happening so fast all around me that it was overwhelming me I had so many thoughts, questions, concerns...

The first night I had pure disbelief for what was happening in front of me. It was surreal and it didn't fit my bubble of faith and realism. Although, miracles are called "miracles" for a reason. Our minds our fighting against our hearts to believe. as this just was not my type of ministry. I had to dig deep into my belief that God can make anything possible. The holy spirit is the most powerful of all and can move mountains. He was moving mountains in that stadium with one after another feeling "healed."

Are we ever "healed" one hundred percent? It was my clinical perspective and experience that kept me skeptical blocking my mind and heart. Just observing one after one share their moment of healing. I thought, "Why is it so easy for her at this moment when my patient was dying in front of me and we prayed and prayed, but we didn't save him?

Pastor Daniel taught everyone this way of healing with the palm and the forehead and said, "Anyone can do this you don't have to be a Pastor." I thought to myself "Really? I don't think so." I do believe in miracles. The boy that will never walk again and he is able to walk. The man declared dead and he comes back to life. The woman diagnosed with cancer and it simply disappears from her body. I believe in those individual cases you hear about, but groups of people in person is a whole lot to process mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Although, we are all believers or non-believers that have a mind of our own and have their own personal experience that may draw them to a certain conclusion. There is always room to question, analyze, wonder, ask, or comment. The Who, What, How, Where, Why can always be mysterious and take time to figure out. A simple answer from an Evangelist would be "You don't need to know anything, just believe. Empty your mind and find logic." Yes, I agree with that partially, but everyone takes their own time to learn and adjust to new experiences.

The second night was a confirmation of miracles. It challenged my beliefs as a Christian it was a reminder they are alive and well and an awakening in my own self. Mental Illness can vanish, Diabetes can vanish, physical pain, emotional pain can vanish. There can be always be the medical fight, the self-improvement, finding ways to hold on a bit longer each day, learning how to cope, deal with crisis, live with it, and find a purpose in why this was given by the Lord. This is just the bubble that I live in, but I opened myself up to new possibilities with Pastor Reinhart and Pastor Daniel. Perhaps that new found miracle is going to promote you to the next level in life to give back and be the best person you can be for God. It is all possible when you believe.

For instance-people, like my friend, they may take it all in one dose and swallow it. For myself and others I know, we take it in small doses or maybe we just don't want it at all. Some people may read this and think it's ridiculous or not believe in any kind of miracle or just not on this spectrum. That is perfectly fine and it's not expected of anyone as this topic can be debated, misunderstood, and questioned extensively- not everyone welcomes such a controversial subject of life and healing.

But remember When your eyes view things you could never imagine...expose your eyes to greater wonder each time PCR

Saturday-second night of the Gospel Crusade Chicago. After the first event- Friday, everyone left a bit different than they were before they came in the door. Maybe they couldn't recognize it, they were to afraid to, they were hesitant, and still in shallow waters. One rain drop fell, a second, a third and this happened throughout the night until people were poured on-poured on like a tsunami rain.

They came out proud and different and I was different. My role had changed as I knew I needed to follow my service to God and connect with others. It was my responsibility to constantly do this with the Indian population especially, but everyone as always. While I thought initially about promoting my church, there was a change in plans from above-"Promote me Priscilla and promote what I gave you."That is exactly what I did as "Believe in Your Purpose" flyers were created to pass out to such beautiful, kind, inspirational, caring, supportive people. They got the message and thankfully I did too.

In the middle rows with a nice couple Pastors I had met. It felt different....It was different....With the sermon and prayer, it was time for those who were non-believers to come forward. To face any shame, guilt, or fear and walk forward to the front. I....I...came forward to be closer to the spirit that was present and cleanse myself of it all.

Slowly the space on the floor was gone and people were continuing to come through the aisles. The space filled up for intense prayer with hands up praising the Lord, eyes intently closed, intimacy with the moment, tears, and pure intensity. This nice man was behind me and I was speaking with him after this prayer and informed me "Get ready it's about to go to another level."

"Wow, there is another level?" It was a level that I just didn't expect myself to participate in and especially be front and center for such intense praying and..... "miracles." "Hallelujah." "Hallelujah." "Hallelujah." Intense prayer, hands of healing, eyes of healing, crying, people lying on the floor and there I was also finding my own healing cleansing away the bad and embracing the good work and future I have ahead.

It was one man leading this miraculous experience. Pastor Bonnke stood up there intensely preaching the gospel and no matter what relationship a person did or didn't have-he made sure everyone knew that it didn't matter. We were all sinners who needed to accept Jesus and move forward in our lives.Pastor Bonnke may not quite be my style of ministry, but the word is the same at the end of the day praising the lord with all we got.

After the event was where the real work was done connecting with so many fantastic people. Adults, families, friends from church, prayers and blessings with strangers, conversations about heaven and our existence-it was like I said....That one drop of rain turned into a whole tsunami. A tsunami of vulnerability, stories, prayer, and connection. It was not a concert where everyone left with who they came with and went on their way. People left with friendship, supports, ministry connections, a new church, a new perspective, and a new protector. People were alive and opened up their heart to Jesus. Two of my ministry students had the biggest smile from a distance and big hug upon arrival. People of all ages, all backgrounds and cultures- we all united...under one roof....for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It's common in life to experience opposition. When we are experiencing great moments in our life-these are the times where we can experience the greatest opposition. This feels unjust, unfair, or undeserved. "Why can't my co-worker and friend celebrate my success rather than make a sarcastic comment." "I am doing great work and making sales, but I receive opposition from my boss." "You are trying to lose weight and your husband tells you it's just never going to happen."

When someone we care about, respect, support, love presents opposition that can be one of the worst feelings. How do we handle it? We remind ourselves of those who are unconditionally supportive and we pencil them into our calendar. We remind ourselves of their support and love. We use affirmations to remind ourselves of our self-worth, internal beauty, and all our strengths, talents, and abilities.Look in the eyes of those with this opposition and smile because YOU are on a path to success and they are engaging in insecurities and fear of identifying with their true self.

No one, No one, and - No One can make you feel inferior without your consent.Eleanor Roosevelt

It was a nice "Spiritual Tour guide" i.e. friend from church who informed me of the Gospel Crusade that was happening five minutes from my house in the Allstate Arena. All those beautiful souls in one place with one God with one amazing pastor Reinhard Bonnke.You never know what to expect from a Pastor until you really see him in person and in action-similar to Joel Osteen. This man had innocence, kindness, and sincerity in his voice and it was clear that he loved people just like I do. Not just love people, but want the best for them each and everyday.

For myself, the Gospel setting is new and I am not accustomed to such intensity. Everyone has their own individual preference and experience and this may work for one, but not for another. As a learner of life, it is essential for me to be open to these new experiences and taking the Lord in with open arms. A great pastor sat in front of my eyes preaching for those who needed to be saved and turn to Jesus.

As a purposeful child of God, I receive satisfaction from his words, the spirit, but mostly from those around me. When I stand and observe the expressions of hope, desire, passion, desperation, fear...When I see their slight movement...their hesitation...they bend their knees...they stand up....they raise their arm...their hand follows with slowness or proud and purely ready...they want to believe....the need to believe....all they have left is to believe.

It is not about me, but is their time to connect, to shine, to feel something bigger than themselves. A proud parent is satisfied and keeps scanning, scanning, and scanning the room with big eyes of love and appreciation. With each breathe and moment, they are moving closer to a better life with the Lord. He called those who want to be saved, "Come, Come to the stage." "Keep coming, just keep coming." He did not want anyone to feel shame rather he wanted them close and ready to accept the Lord.

"You shoot a dead man with the gospel. He comes alive."Reinhard Bonnke

As Pastor Bonnke preaches-the momentum and spirit is rising and rising. He truly does have the presence and the spirit to connect with a whole stadium of people. After all, he did bring 74 million people to Christ primarily in the region of Africa.His partner Pastor Kolenda joined him leading a healing session for those who are sick within their body. He asked the audience to raise their hand if they were sick within their body and it felt and appeared that everyone raised their hand except for me. My friend even said, "Well, maybe I have something." How genuine were all these hands? Do we all just secretly want to be healed inside from not just an illness, but our life, our feelings, our fears, our challenges?When I was in Puerto Rico, I witnessed a significant amount of healing. When I was in the Philippines, these sick children and adults were being healed by God daily. But there was something different about this as it was instantly on the spot with the touch of a hand from the person sitting next to you to another.

With God anything is possible. With his spirit, anything is possible. With prayer, anything is possible. With all three, get ready for the ride of your life. PCR

This can be very intimidating to some and very inspiring to others. God did not make me as the person who nods her head and takes in everything she learns. He made me to analyze, evaluate, listen intently, take everything apart, and put it back together like puzzle pieces. While those who experienced healing deserved everything they received-something is sitting and still stirring inside of me.All the dedication to those in poverty, illness, prison, natural disaster-could it all just disappear for them? It seems surreal that people dedicate their whole life to helping others and then people can just heal. This is not doubting what is the most powerful of the world, but it is questioning why this can't happen more or does it? Are there different ways of being healed? Absolutely

Schedules are the glue that hold together our busy life. They help us prioritize our commitments, keep us on time, and accounted for throughout the day. Work, family, friends, working out, eating our meals, and walking our dog. The schedule is sometimes abused with those who barely even have time to sleep.

With all of the busy schedules, is self-reflection ever on the list of things to do? Self-reflection of our day is one of the most important parts. Did you have a meeting that went horribly? Did you have a fight with your spouse again? These life problems just get recycled each day and the daily schedule/routine continues if they are not properly addressed. Perhaps you apologize to your wife and you move forward, but this could easily happen again because there was no self-reflection. We learn based off trial and error and we fix these problems as we go and perhaps we engage in negative self-talk with a disappointment in the self.

Self-reflection is not about negativity with yourself rather it's suppose to be engaging in a serious thought processing about your personal traits, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. This means that one identifies with feelings, "I was angry with her for lying to me about her boss." Identify with the feeling, what made you angry, why are you angry, who are you angry with, and how can you prevent this from happening again. This can be written down in your IPhone, a journal, or on the computer. It's extremely important to reflect and write it out. It reconfirms what you are feeling or experiencing.

Whether it is a significant problem, misperception, a feeling of loss/sadness, disappointment in a child's behavior, frustration with work deadlines. There needs to be a time in that schedule for self-reflection-recommended ten to fifteen minutes at lunch, after dinner, before bed, or during commercial breaks of a game(not preferred, but acceptable).

Identify with how you are feeling about the day and what contributed to this feeling. Perhaps it was an amazing day and you feel great-still great to reflect on how that happened and how it can repeat itself again tomorrow and the next day and the next day. PCR

Take your time daily to reflect to take a closer look at your own behavior because insight into your behavior is the key to happiness.PCR

Self-reflection will break down the walls that keep you from excelling into a mature and enlightened self. PCR

It's evident that the love and support around us is what makes our world go round. Feeling support is different than just receiving it as it is the feeling that drives our behavior. It is the unconditional support that empowers us to improve our decision making and behave responsibly. The support that can lead us through the good days and the bad. The unity between two spirits can confirm the respect between each other.

"Be thankful for thy support from those you love. It's their support that consciously is what keeps you going." PCR

In therapy? In Argentina, it's the norm By Elizabeth Landau, CNNupdated 11:40 AM EDT, Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is also a haven for psychoanalysis, a method of psychology invented by Sigmund Freud. It's common for expatriates and natives alike to take advantage of the city's many therapists to explore their problems. Click through to learn more about psychoanalysis. The people in this photo are not necessarily patients. Sigmund Freud is hailed as one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. He and others laid the foundation for modern mental health practice. The field of psychoanalysis stays closer to his original ideas than other branches of psychology.

Freud believed problems in adulthood could be traced to being "stuck" in stages of development, and some of those ideas are still in popular culture. People with an "oral fixation," for instance, have not resolved conflicts from their infancy up until about age 2. Those who are "anal retentive" may have had parents who created anxiety around toilet training, around 2 to 4 years old, Freud believed. Therapists today don't force patients to talk about these experiences, but generally, personality forms by age 6 or 7, says Gabriel Rolon. The "Oedipus complex" refers to boys who desire their mothers and feel threatened by their fathers around ages 4 to 5, Freud believed; girls, on the other hand, experience "penis envy." Therapists today, even psychoanalysts, admit that Freud's development patterns such as this one do not apply to everyone, although they may be useful generally in thinking about development. Transference happens when a patient redirects his or her feelings about one person toward another, Freud believed. For example, a patient may come to relate to a psychiatrist or significant other in the same way as he or she did to a parental figure.Negative reactions to a spouse may, in theory, come from bad feelings toward someone else being transferred. Recognizing these patterns may be helpful as patients work out their problems. Freud talked about the mind in terms of three parts: The id, ego and superego. The id is driven by pleasure; it has all the person's wishes and motivations. The ego is the cognitive, rational apparatus to deal with life. The superego serves as the person's conscience, driving guilt and incorporating societal pressures. These may not exist as physical structures in the brain, but they do provide guidance for thinking about how people repress their true wishes, impose shame on themselves and balance desires against the expectations of others.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Argentina has more psychologists per capita than anywhere else in the world

Almost half of them are in Buenos Aires

Psychoanalysis, which is not common in the United States, still flourishes in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires (CNN) -- Curled up in a fetal position, Vivi Rathbon would stare at the textured wallpaper of her analyst's office as she spoke.

Sometimes she'd lie flat on her back with her arms dangling off the leather couch. Her therapist sat behind her in a recliner, out of her view. The door was locked for privacy.

This is how Rathbon, of Boise, Idaho, began her sessions of psychoanalysis when she lived in Buenos Aires after college. She went into therapy in 2011 because she suffered from intense depression and felt guilty about choosing to live so far from her family.

Before seeking help, she didn't know that psychoanalysis, while viewed as somewhat obsolete by many professionals in the United States, is commonplace in Buenos Aires. When she first went to see her therapist, she had no idea what she was in for, and spent the first two weeks of sessions lying in silence.

"It was really awkward at first," said Rathbon, 26, who moved to Argentina after graduating from college into a tough job market. "It's very Woody Allen. You're laying there, the analyst just says, 'OK, talk.' 'Talk about what?' 'Anything.' It's free association. You just have to talk about whatever comes to your mind. And that's actually a lot harder than you would think."

It's not just psychoanalysis that's popular in Argentina. The country has the distinction of being home to more psychologists per capita than anywhere else in the world. Almost half the country's psychologists are concentrated in the capital city of Buenos Aires.

Modesto Alonso is a psychoanalyst in Buenos Aires who keeps track of how many psychologists practice in Argentina.Portenos -- that's what residents of Buenos Aires call themselves -- say they don't have the same stigma about seeking mental health treatment as Americans. Whereas mental health treatment in the United States might be seen as something to keep secret, it's common in Buenos Aires to talk about emotional problems or what's going on in therapy.

Going to a therapist just for a space to work through a certain issue might seem frivolous in some cultures, but it's normal in Buenos Aires, said Daniela Frankenberg, a bilingual psychologist practicing there.

"In the expat community here, I see more and more people coming to my office who perhaps in their home country would have never done therapy," Frankenberg said. "Here, feeling that it's something that people do, (they) give themselves room to do that."

Psychotherapy is a tool, "not only to cure emotional and psychological illnesses, but also tools to develop oneself as a person, with a greater quality of life," says psychologist Modesto Alonso.

With a gentle grandfather-like demeanor, Alonso talks about the most recent study that he and colleagues conducted on psychologists in Argentina. He emphasized that some of the figures are approximate, especially with regard to how many are in Buenos Aires, but they are the best that are out there.

A 2005 World Health Organization study ranked Argentina as the world leader in psychologists per capita, at 106 psychologists per 100,000 people. WHO's numbers for 2011 don't include the country, but Austria's 80 per 100,000 would still pale in comparison to the 202 psychologists per 100,000 that Alonso and colleagues estimated for Argentina in a 2012 study.

Using data from 2011, his group showed that Argentina has about 81,000 practicing psychologists in the country, 46% of whom are in Buenos Aires. These numbers do not include psychiatrists.

By comparison, according to the American Psychological Association, based on 2012 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 33 clinical, counseling and school psychologists per 100,000 people in the United States -- in line with estimates based on licensing data.

As expected, there are higher concentrations of psychologists in urban vs. rural areas. That also applies in Argentina; in Buenos Aires, there are 1,280 psychologists per 100,000 people, according to Alonso's study.

More and more students are becoming psychologists, too -- about 2.6 students are entering a psychology program for each one who graduates.

One of the soon-to-be psychology graduates is Agustina, 31, who did not want her last name used because her future patients may Google her name.

Every member of Agustina's family goes to some kind of therapy, but, she's quick to add, "It's not that we are completely crazy or something. Nobody has big issues."

She's in group therapy, in which participants speak about their problems and a therapist mediates the discussion. In her circle at school, anyone who hasn't been to therapy is seen as aberrant -- it's like "Oh my God, this person has issues," she said.